Answers

1. What is the Michener Institute of Education at UHN (“Michener”)?

Michener is the educational enterprise of the University Health Network. Reporting to the Executive Vice President, Education, the Michener portfolio supports lifelong learning spanning entry-to-practice programs in the School of Applied Health Sciences, to a myriad of continuing education and professional development programs for practicing health care professionals in live and online formats.

Our ethos, we are all teaching, we are all learning,permeates Michener’s five campuses across UHN where education is created and practiced. Our mission for CPD programming at Michener is to improve the health of Canadians by enhancing health professions practice, promoting lifelong learning, and leading education innovation and scholarship in response to needs of the health care system. This is enabled by access to educational experts and resources that enable interprofessional education and care, customized/personalized learning, educational development, blended learning, and simulation, while accessing leaders in education science and research to inform our practice in health professions education.

Michener is unique within the Canadian health care and educational landscapes, as it is the nation’s only hospital-based education infrastructure to include a credential issuing, post-secondary institution.

2. What is the difference between Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (“Royal College”) accreditation and College of Family Physicians of Canada (“CFPC”) accreditation?

These are two separate accrediting bodies, each with its own set of accreditation standards, frameworks, and credit types / categories. Although the two accrediting bodies share some similarities and overlap, these are two distinct programs.

The Royal College oversees the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program and accredits CPD activities for MOC credits.
This program caters to Fellows of the Royal College (specialist physicians, surgeons) and health care professionals (any other members of the health care team practising in Canada who are not Fellows of the Royal College). See the Royal College’s Guide to the MOC Program for more information.

The CFPC oversees the Maintenance of Proficiency (Mainpro+) Program and certifies CPD activities for Mainpro+ credits.
This program caters to members of the CFPC. This includes active members (family physicians) and associate members (other health professionals who work in collaboration with family physicians in clinical practice or academic departments of family medicine). See the CFPC’s Department of CPD for more information.

No. Currently, Michener can review CPD activities for MOC credits only. However, you can also have your program reviewed by the CFPC for Mainpro+ credits. The two processes to obtain each of the accreditations are similar.

4. What is the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program?

The MOC Program is the Royal College’s continuing professional development program for Fellows of the Royal College (specialist physicians and surgeons) and health care professionals practising in Canada who are not Fellows of the Royal College. The Program helps participants keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date with high-quality CPD education and lifelong learning.

Fellows of the Royal College are required to participate in the MOC Program. However, other health care professionals practicing in Canada who are not Fellows of the Royal College may also choose to participate in the MOC Program. This includes medical specialists, licensed physicians, international medical graduates, PhDs, medical geneticists, and any other member of the health care team practising in Canada who is not a Fellow of the Royal College. See MOC Program Info for Health Care Professionals for more information.

Please note that family physicians, and health professionals who work in collaboration with family physicians, participate in an alternate CPD program that is focused on family medicine called the Maintenance of Proficiency (Mainpro+) Program. The Mainpro+ Program is run by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

5. How can Royal College accredited activities contribute to the CPD requirements of healthcare professionals who are not specialist physicians and who are not participants in the MOC Program?

Family physicians: Members of the The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) can claim up to 50 MOC Section 1 credits per cycle for credit under the CFPC’s Maintenance of Proficiency (Mainpro+) program. These are claimed as CFPC Group Learning certified credits.

Royal College accredited CPD activities can also be used by health care professions beyond physicians to help them meet the continuing education and professional development requirements that are set by their regulatory provincial or national college or professional association. For example, Medical Radiation Technologists (“MRTs”) in Ontario can record Royal College accredited CPD activities in the College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario’s QA ePortfolio to fulfill the 25 hours of CPD participation that is required of them each year.

Healthcare professionals can consult their professional college to find out more about how Royal College accredited CPD activities can contribute to its continuing education and professional development requirements.

6. Can the CPD Accreditation Office at Michener submit credits, on behalf of learners, to their respective national college?
It is the responsibility of CPD activity participants to submit their CPD activity credits to their provincial or national college. If a national college is requesting any documentation that has not been provided, participants can reach out to the CPD Accreditation Office at Michener or the CPD activity organizer to obtain the required documentation.